1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates, in general, to a foot attachable to a leg of a piece of furniture and, in particular, to foot assemblies removably attachable respectively to the elbow and free end of each sled-type leg of a chair or desk.
2. Description of the Related Art
The free end of each leg of a piece of furniture often includes a cap, foot, glide, or the like. In many institutionalized settings, such as in a school or other educational facility, the foot disposed on the corresponding free ends of the respective legs of a piece of furniture are designed to allow easy sliding of a chair or desk, for instance, upon a surface such as a floor. More specifically, the foot is designed to increase the amount of surface-area contact, but reduce the amount of frictional contact, between the legs and the floor.
One type of chair commonly employed in schools generally includes a pair of opposed, identical sled-type legs. Each such leg has an uppermost portion extending vertically or obliquely from a bottom surface of a seat of the chair toward a surface of a floor upon which the chair is supported. Each leg has also a lowermost portion extending horizontally and adapted to be supported upon the floor surface. Alternatively, the chair includes a single sled-type leg having a cross-member attached to and extending across the bottom surface of the seat of the chair. The uppermost portions integrally extend vertically or obliquely from respective ends of the cross-member toward the floor surface. The leg has also a pair of opposed, identical lowermost portions extending horizontally and adapted to be supported upon the floor surface. In each case, corresponding uppermost and lowermost portions are integrally attached to each other at an elbow of the leg.
However, these legs suffer from many disadvantages. More specifically, use of this type of leg generally facilitates a sliding motion across a relatively large surface area of the floor and, therefore, increases incidence and coverage of floor scraping, scratching, or marring and attendant noise. This relatively greater amount of scraping, scratching, or marring, in turn, increases not only costs of stripping, waxing, and buffing the floor and other labor and material costs associated with maintaining the floor, but also the number of airborne particulates and, thus, pollutants in the room in which the corresponding chair or desk is used. Furthermore, the bottom surface defines relatively more area upon which dirt, dust, sand, and other debris can gather, thus making this type of leg relatively more difficult, time-consuming, and, thus, expensive to clean and keep sanitary. This debris can even be imbedded into the bottom surface of the leg such that the texture of the bottom surface becomes like sandpaper and, thus, scrapes, scratches, or mars the floor even more than it does otherwise.
In addition, when the chair or desk is moved along the floor, the frictional contact between this type of leg and the floor produces a perceptible, often irritating, noise. In a classroom setting, especially in an elementary school where there are a substantial number of relatively young students moving or “scooting” their respective chairs and desks at any one time, this noise can be multiplied to a very significant level.
Moreover, the floor upon which the corresponding chair or desk is supported can be mopped weekly, even daily. In such an especially wet environment, this type of leg—being made mostly or even entirely of metal—can rust and, hence, have a relatively shorter life, produce rust marks on the floor when the chair or desk is moved along the floor, and cause the legs of the chair or desk to be aesthetically displeasing.
Thus, there is a need in the related art for a relatively easy, efficient, and inexpensive way of adding foot respectively to the elbow and free end of a sled-type leg of a chair or desk. There is also a need in the related art for a glide that is adapted to be mounted to such a foot and reduce incidence of floor scraping, scratching, or marring and generation of noise. There is also a need in the related art for such a glide having a bottom surface that defines relatively less area upon which dirt, dust, sand, and other debris can gather. There is also a need in the related art for such a glide that may be replaced without replacing the entire corresponding foot.